Jeff Peddle and his workers were busy lats week harvesting potatoes from Bayview Farms. Despite a very wet October, Peddle says the harvest is not too far behind. Gavin Simms photo

GAVIN SIMMS

“Seems like when it rains you don’t get a shower, you get a downpour.”
Local farmer Jeff Peddle, of Bayview Farms in Lethbridge, has dealt with his share of unseasonable weather over the years, and October was more unseasonable than most.
    In fact, this October is now on record as the second wettest October in Newfoundland weather history.
“We’ve had some sloppy snow and rain,” Peddle says as he empties a sack of turnip into a large wooden crate. He and a field of workers were making the most of sunny day last week, taking from the ground what they can.
Herb Thoms, meteorologist with Environment Canada in Gander, says out of 29 days there’s been 25 days with more than .2 mm of precipitation. There’s been 12 days with more than 5 mm.
“Normal maximum temperature is about 9.5 and so far this month it’s 6.3, so that’s significantly less,” says Thoms, adding the Gander region saw more snow this October, than during October, November and December, last year, thanks to one day of snow during the latter part of the month.
The cold damp weather has a bit of an impact on Bayview’s operation. Things have been a bit slower going, but nothing serious enough to complain about. 
“You make the best of whatever the weather brings,” Peddle says. “With potatoes you got a potato harvester and you’re trying to get a big piece of equipment through the mud, and you can’t take the chance when it’s wet.”
They’ve worked the fields every day, despite the weather. Instead of harvesting potato on wet days they do cabbage or turnip or carrot, which doesn’t require the heavy machinery.
The farm is going to be a little bit later finishing up than last year, but that’s due in part to a good growing season.
“The crop is a bit bigger so you’re gonna be off anyway. But we’re not too much off. We usually have everything out of the ground by Nov. 10 or 15. This year it might run closer to the twentieth,” he says.
Right from the start this year, Peddle says germination was good on small seeds. There were a couple short dry spells and wet spells but it’s all to be expected. 
They’ve had two or three mornings of frost so far this fall, just enough to slow down the harvest.
It hasn’t been cold enough, though, to spoil any of the crop.
“You don’t want to wait too late for the potatoes because you don’t want any hard frost. They can be damaged, so we try to get them as quick as we can.”
Peddle says most farms in the area are having a good year, with ideal market-sized produce.
“We’re getting a lot more regular turnip than we are small ones, which is better for us; there’s more number one turnip. Same thing with the carrot; they might be an inch longer or more round. We’re getting a bigger yield.”
gsimms@thepacket.ca